Managed to get a copy from across the pond and I’ve just watched it. Like Paramount’s version it is as you all know set in modern day America. It’s George Herbert’s 10th anniversary and he and his wife and girlie looking kid are off to DC. But a meteorite sighting stops him from going as he is an astronomer. They go without him. The meteorite turns out to be a cylinder, just like in the book, but the invaders come out very quickly. There’s a man in the pit who gets it, and then the big Hexapod comes out and starts zapping folks, they turn into skeletons. They don’t writhe once skeletons though. People are also picked up by pincer tentacles. George who was at the pit escapes. Now he’s on a quest to find his family at DC. He meets a soldier they bond and move on together. They bump into a band of soldiers lead by a bit of a nut. The aliens come out of there fighting machines and gooerize people. George loses the soldier and drifts off in a boat. He meets a pastor. At one point they are eating wildflowers to help with a fever they both have. They hear a noise. Look around look up and a Hexapod is stood over them. Just how on Earth one managed to stand over them without them noticing earlier is beyond me but they run off, using its blind side. They talk a lot about God, and faith. They also talk about God and Faith. And at one point they talk about God and Faith. There’s even a bit where they talk about God and Faith.
They end up in a house. It is a veterinarian doctor’s house. There are Rabies vaccination shots there. A cylinder hits close by. They are buried in the house. This is done by noise, blackout, and aftermath. Very cheap. But at least George and the Pastor survive, and it’s a good job too because they have a conversation about God and Faith. The pastor is losing it . Suddenly George gets an idea. If he gets a chance, amongst the discussions about God and Faith, he’s going to inject an alien with the vaccine, and they hopefully will all die. His chance comes, after seeing the aliens feed on a couple of folks, one enters the house, and George jabs him. It leaves, then returns to kill the pastor with some ghastly spit. George hides under a blanket and the alien leaves. George looks outside eventually and the aliens have gone, including the cylinder. He heads for DC. There is a kind of Dead London bit. He finds his wife’s car. Moves on. Bumps into the soldier from before. He’s joined that band of soldiers with the nut leading them . The nut kills soldier buddy after his protest at forcing George to join them. George kills nut. Other soldiers walk away. Queue DC, and wrecked White House. He sees one of the creatures stood nearby. A creature not a machine. He goes over to it. Offers his life. It drops dead. Queue wife and kids. Camera pull back ruined DC with Lifeless Hexapods scattered about. The end.

This was a cheap movie, crappy special effects, rubbish script, poor acting.

Lots of things grate on you. There is a bit where George and the pastor come across a woman that the pastor knows. She is hysterical, she’s lost her kids to the creatures. So because she’s hysterical, they just leave her. No waiting to see if she calms down, just a case of - can’t be doing with her.

Instead of Black smoke there is green smoke. But if you climb onto a wall it passes you by without effect.

The debris caused by aliens is obviously just demolition sites and scrap ground. Nothing looks blasted.

There is a bit where George dreams about talking to his wife’s severed head.?????

George injecting an alien surely wouldn’t bring them all down within days. One assumes they are spread all over America, and the World.

There are lots of nods to the book. He even finds carrots after being trapped in the house.

I found it very boring to watch. Very slow. Not much in the line of the invaders. The whole film is a vehicle for discussions about God and Faith.

There are no battles between soldiers and Fighting Machines. You see soldiers you hear guns, but that's it. No planes, tanks. You don't see buildings destroyed, and only a few people get zapped on screen.

Unusual for me to disagree with you, but I must admit I did enjoy this version of War Of The Worlds.

Some of the effects were a little ropey, but compared to what I have seen of the Pendragon version they are a lot better than that! A few bits seem to drag in the movie, but overall I think it stands up well, tells a good story and has some good action scenes.

Fair enough Lee. I knew that you liked it from your post on it awhile back.
My veiws are of course only my opinions and if everybody on this forum shared them then it would be a dull place indeed. as it happens we have lots of conflicting opinions about something we all love at the root, which leads to some great debates.
Remember Logan's Run is one of my favourite films of all time, which has very poor special effects and lots of people hate it.

Why did you make this film?
Because I'm a fan of the book, I love sci-fi, and I love making movies.

Why the modern setting?
Because it's hard to sell a low-budget period film.

Are you a fan of the new Parramount version?
Yes.

Are you a fan of the old Parramont version?
Sorry, haven't seen it (I know, I know...but it's on my list).

Are you a fan of the Pendragon version?
Not my cup of tea, but it does have its moments.

In regards to the religion...I really didn't think I added any more than Wells did. The Curate is a man of religion, and these themes come up during the course of the journey. I only brought up issues that I felt rounded out his character and helped with George (the leads) character.

Basically, this is a story about a normal guy killing himself at the end of his journey. So, sitting down, looking at the script I had to ask myself what are the external elements that form a person? Religion. Society. Family. (I could only pick a few for my example). My intention was to play each character against those elements. So the Curate represented religion. Once dead, God was dead. George could no longer use religion as a support. He also loses his family (Tinerie), Society (Andy Lauer), and Governement (Jake Busey). By the end, he's emotionally empty enough to walk up to the alien to kill himself.

There's also just a lot more time spent on the Curate in the book than any of the other characters so that's another reason for the God focus here.

I have to say this movie appears to have almost everything in the Wells' original novel yet making it clear that the novel is set in modern times. There are even certain parts of the movie where I would connect something in the movie to the book. The design of the fighting machine is an interesting take on them and I also thought that if you were to lower their size and mabey give them claws they would make great handling machines.

I have to say this movie appears to have almost everything in the Wells' original novel yet making it clear that the novel is set in modern times. There are even certain parts of the movie where I would connect something in the movie to the book. The design of the fighting machine is an interesting take on them and I also thought that if you were to lower their size and mabey give them claws they would make great handling machines.

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